Meaning of Maya

[sridatta]

Māyā means the unimaginable and wonderful power of God. God Himself is unimaginable. You cannot have two unimaginable items because any number of unimaginable items only results in one unimaginable item. We say that the unimaginable God did this miracle through His unimaginable power.

Here, we are allowing the assumption of two unimaginable items only because all of us are accustomed to the dualism of the possessor of the power and power itself such as the sun and its light. Such terminology is used only for the sake of convenience for our easy understanding. Hence, māyā is called the power and the Māyī or the possessor of māyā is called Īśvarā (Māyāṃ tu prakṛtiṃ viddhi, Māyinaṃ tu Maheśvaram—Gītā).

In one sense, this creation is also wonderful and can be called māyā since the root meaning of the word māyā is wonder (maya-vaicitrye). In another sense, the unimaginable power of God, which is the unimaginable God Himself, is called māyā and it is the root cause for this world. The world or creation is called ‘prakṛti’, which also means ‘root cause’ (Prakṛtirmūlakāraṇe). So, “Māyāṃ tu prakṛtiṃ viddhi” can mean “Know God’s unimaginable power (which is non-different from Him) to be the root cause of creation”.

Avidyā is the individual ignorance and is the inherent characteristic of the soul. Since the soul is ignorant, it is called ajña (fully ignorant). But the soul is also sometimes called the partial knower (alpajña). Both these words contradict each other. This contradiction can be resolved as follows: The soul is fully ignorant about the unimaginable God and hence, is ajña. But the soul knows this infinite world partially; hence, it is called alpajña. In fact, avidyā means complete ignorance and it refers to the soul’s complete ignorance about the unimaginable God and not about the world.

Māyā is the illusion that can be crossed by human beings with their own efforts. Mahā māyā is the illusion created by God and examples of mahā māyā are God appearing as energy and energy appearing as matter. This mahā māyā is the basis of the entire creation. This mahā māyā makes this creation appear to be true. Śaṅkara said that mahā māyā is running this whole creation (Mahāmāyā viśvaṃ bhramayasi...—Saundarya Laharī). In the three-fold classification of māyā, mahā māyā and mūla māyā, the term māyā means a normal illusion of a soul like a rope appearing as a serpent in dim light. This individual illusion is actually called avidyā.

As per the nomenclature followed in the scriptures, māyā is a term related to God (Māyinantu Maheśvaram—Gītā), whereas, avidyā is a term related to an individual human being (Māyāvacchinna Īśvaraḥ, Avidyāvacchinno jivaḥ). In the Gītā, all the three terms, māyā, mahā māyā and mūla māyā, are represented by the single term māyā. The word māyā comes from the root-word maya which means that which is wonderful (maya-vaicitrye). Since this creation is wonderful, it is called māyā (Māyāṃ tu prakṛtiṃ viddhi—Gītā).

The word māyā also means that which does not exist for God (Yā mā sā māyā). Of course, māyā (creation) always exists for the soul because the soul itself is a part of creation. When you apply the word māyā to creation, it is to be taken in the sense that creation is wonderful and also in the sense that creation is non-existent for God.
The word māyā is also applied to the unimaginable and wonderful power of God. It is from this unimaginable power alone that this creation has evolved. Since two unimaginable items cannot co-exist, both the unimaginable God and His unimaginable power must be taken to be just one item. When we read the verse in the Gītā, “Māyāṃ tu prakṛtiṃ…”, it has two meanings.

(1) The first meaning is that the world is wonderful. (2) The second meaning is that the wonderful and unimaginable power of the unimaginable God is the root cause for this world. These two meanings arise because the word prakṛti also has two meanings. (1) The first meaning of prakṛti is creation. (2) The second meaning of prakṛti is that which is the root cause (Prakṛtirmūlakāraṇe).

The Gītā says that the unimaginable power of God can never be crossed by human beings (Mama māyā duratyayā). But elsewhere, the Gītā also says that māyā can be crossed by the grace of God (Māyāmetāṃ taranti te). It means that māyā cannot be crossed unless the soul gets God’s grace. When the Gītā says that māyā can be crossed by the soul, the word māyā in that context, can be taken to mean avidyā because avidyā can be crossed by human beings.
In this context, māyā can stand as an alternative word for avidyā. Note that even to cross avidyā, God’s grace is required since, God’s grace is required for anything to happen. In the context of the other statement from the Gītā, which says that māyā cannot be crossed, the term māyā can be taken to mean mahā māyā. In fact, mahā māyā makes this unreal world to be real, so that even God gets entertained in the real sense. Even though the world by itself is unreal with reference to God, it becomes real to God due to His unimaginable power.

As a result, even God experiences this unreal world as real and He gets full and real entertainment from it. From the standpoint of the soul, creation is always real and māyā (mahā māyā) can never be crossed. No soul can realize matter to be energy in practical experience. No soul can realize energy to be the unimaginable God because the unimaginable God can never be realized by any soul.

Only the unimaginable God can realize Himself. So, even energy can disapper in His view. But energy will never actually disappear because the unimaginable God never wishes to remain alone without creation. The first Energetic Incarnation (Datta) will never disappear and will always remain since that is the wish of the unimaginable God. The first Energetic Incarnation and the space occupied by Him, which is called parama vyoma will always continue to exist eternally.

Hence, the disappearance of energy and the appearance of the unimaginable God alone can never happen. Therefore, crossing mahā māyā is permanently impossible for the soul. Crossing mahā māyā is also permanently absent, in the case of the unimaginable God. Although the unimaginable God can cross the mahā māyā, He never wishes to cross it. Even in the final dissolution, this entire gross creation gets converted into a very subtle state of energy, but it never becomes totally absent. If God wishes, even mahā māyā can disappear, but God never wishes so.

Therefore, by using the word avidyā instead of māyā, we can use the term mahā māyā for the unimaginable power of the unimaginable God. When the separate avidyā is used to mean the individual illusion that can be crossed by the soul, the word māyā can be used to mean mahā māyā. Then, only two terms remain, namely avidyā and māyā. The third term called mūla māyā means the root reason (mūla) for this wonderful creation (māyā).

When God said that He incarnates using His māyā (Sambhavāmyātma māyayā), it refers to the process of the unimaginable God merging with the imaginable fertilized embryo in the womb of the mother, which also is an unimaginable process. The word māyā in this verse denotes the unimaginable power of God. Since both the power (māyā) and the possessor of the power (Māyī) are unimaginable, both māyā and Māyī are one and the same unimaginable God called Parabrahman.

[Tcg]

[Replying to sridatta in post #1]
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